David Akin, Parliamentary Bureau Chief

OTTAWA - As news of the nightmare in Newtown, Conn., made its way to Canada's capital, the country's political class took to Twitter to express their shock, horror and sadness.

"The news is just awful," Prime Minister Stephen Harper posted on his Twitter account. "The thoughts and prayers of Canadians are with the students and families in [Connecticut] affected by this senseless violence."

Harper has nearly 275,000 Twitter followers. Of those, more than 1,500 re-tweeted or re-transmitted Harper's tweets.